Wolf's Motorhome Modifications

... and Other Stuff

My Generac Generator

 


Clicking on any photo will give you a larger image


The old setup, before installing the Generac.  Gosh this thing was LOUD.

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A diagram of the compartment (click for a larger image):

 

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A view of the mounting taken from Generac's excellent website and manual:

 


A view of the dimensions I will be working with:


Air clearances are 1 inch back and sides and 1/2 inch top and front::


The original design for the mounting plates (click for a larger image).  I lost the wings on the bottom as I went with 10 gauge plates and did not have the tools to cut and bend them.

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The old generator was removed using two floor jacks and three people.   Use more floor jacks.  It sucks when one jack goes sailing down before the other.  I built a platform that had casters that allowed me to wheel the old one around for repair.  The new one was on another platform.  I mounted two 10 gauge plates that were pre-drilled for the rails and the generator mountings.  We lifted the new generator with three floor jacks.  While the generator has proper clearances, there was NO clearance between the mounting rails and the generator.  We wiggled and pulled and pushed and wiggled some more.  Eventually it all came together.


Looking up from the groundThe utilities are connected through a hole in the front plate.  All are weather sealed.  The gas line has an auxiliary fuel filter.  That will allow me to separate the generator from the motorhome gas tank and feed it from an outboard tank if required.  Remember, we live in an area that already suffered a multi-day blackout.  Severe storms knock out power for days at a time.  While my 75 gallons (out of 100) should give me six or seven days, I would prefer to be able to lengthen that as necessary.

The picture was taken looking up from the ground.


 


This is the generator open.  The bar in front of the compartment is probably not needed and it may be removed.  The steel plates provide a good deal of support for the panels.  A small screw was added that holds the cover to the box.  The black plastic clips, while they appear capable, just don't seem like they are as capable as an easily removed screw.  These people built in a number of really neat features.  Look at the picture below right and you'll see the oil change hose.  You dump the oil overboard.  Neat stuff.


 


Is the generator quiet?  Yes, amazingly so.  It is not as quiet as a 2000 watt Honda but it is also putting out 5,500 watts and is powered by a 24 horsepower motor.  It is using half the gas of the old generator.  Time will tell.  For now, it appears to be the absolute best choice I could have made ... and the cheapest! 


Click for a larger imageClick for a larger imageThe modifications started almost immediately.  While cranking the generator allowed it to start, like all generators, it took some time to get fuel to the engine.  Generac solves that by including a prime switch that powers the fuel pump.  Hit the prime button for ten seconds and the generator starts right up.  Now knowing how well it works, I'd install one in any generator.  There are four lines coming in for the generator remote control:  start, stop, ground, and a 12 volt generator run wire.  Some checking showed the ground was simply a wire leading to the switch.  It was not grounded anywhere in the line.  I took that wire (marked LN on my Winnie) and made that the prime wire.  I put in two prime switches, one in the panel over the sink and one in the dash.  The switches are from www.mouser.com and have covers so the switches are protected.  I used the 12 volt source for the fan and light over the sink.  In the dash I used the general 12 volt dash line.  I also installed a green LED in each location to indicate when the generator was running.  (This generator is quiet!  If the fan is on you don't hear the generator.)  This was placed on the generator run line and to ground.  The old ground, from the switch, was run to a convenient ground in each location.  I also installed a LED indicator to allow me to know when I had the rear heat on.  I used two diodes to each of the "on" lines from the switch to light the LED.

My first trip out with the new generator confirmed that it is working well.


My copy of the manual in case I need to refer to it when on the road

 

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